The healthcare industry is no stranger to innovation, but few of those new developments have affected the learning and professional development process that is so integral to this field. This is about to change.
In 2023, healthcare and pharmaceutical companies are expected to increasingly adopt a new format of e-learning tools: the Electronic Magazine, or eZine. eZines have already been around for several years, but their concise and highly visual nature is fuelling a new rise to prominence in the healthcare space.
What Are eZines?
The term eZine stands for electronic magazine. Like print magazines, eZines provide bite-sized pieces of content in an attractive, easy-to-navigate format. The only difference is that they are digital files instead of real-world objects.
eZines can be flipped through like print magazines and always feature visual elements alongside their text. These images may be photographs, illustrations, or digital graphics. In e-zines targeted at the healthcare or pharmaceutical industries, graphs and charts are also included to visually illustrate relevant data. These elements can be tapped to zoom in closer to them, allowing the user to examine them in more detail before going back to their reading.
Putting eZines to Work in Healthcare
eZines offer many advantages over other educational materials. They:
- Can be accessed anytime, anywhere, and from any device
- Feature visually interesting formatting that helps users better engage with the information being presented
- Break concepts down into smaller, easily digestible chunks for on-the-go learning
- Make it easy to delve deeper into key statistics with responsive infographics the user can manipulate
- Can be combined with in-person training to reinforce key concepts and test participants’ ability to apply their knowledge in real-world contexts
These benefits make eZines extremely well-suited to professional training courses in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.
People working in these fields are often very busy with little time to devote to continuing education. Simultaneously, the nature of the field demands that they update their knowledge and skill sets regularly to keep on top of the latest scientific advancements and market developments.
eZines allow these individuals to keep up with these intense demands. Because they are short, relatively simple, and engaging to read, they are perfect for learning in small bursts whenever busy professionals have time. Their visual elements and zoom-in features make data and statistics easy to understand at a glance and emphasize the importance of key figures.
Someone who might struggle to find an hour to devote to reading a dense report or textbook might be able to spare ten minutes on their commute each day instead. eZines make this type of micro-learning possible, even when covering dense topics like managed care markets or patient advocacy. With staff shortages and high demands placing increasing pressure on healthcare and pharmaceutical staff, eZines are poised to become even more popular in 2023.
Making eZines Work For You
Help your staff fit professional development courses into their busy schedules next year with custom eZines from the instructional design experts here at The Brooks Group. Our Learning eXperience custom course design packages include eZines as a key part of most of our e-learning and blended learning curriculums. Contact us today to learn more about our instructional design offerings and get your organization ready to start learning.